The present invention relates to an optical waveguide module formed by storing an optical waveguide circuit chip mainly used for optical communication into a package.
Various optical waveguide circuit chips each having an optical waveguide forming area formed on a substrate are used for optical communication. For example, an optical waveguide circuit chip such as a splitter and a coupler is conventionally used. These optical waveguide circuit chips approximately have a chip size from several mm to several ten mm.
The optical waveguide circuit chip is generally used by connecting the chip to an optical fiber. For example, the optical waveguide circuit chip and the optical fiber are connected to each other by fixing the optical waveguide circuit chip and an optical fiber block by an adhesive, etc. The optical fiber block is formed by fixing the optical fiber to an optical fiber arranging tool.
The optical waveguide circuit chip normally has a thickness approximately from 0.5 mm to 1 mm, and is weak in external force. As mentioned above, when the optical waveguide circuit chip and the optical fiber block are connected to each other, the strength of a connecting portion of the optical fiber block and the optical waveguide circuit chip is also weak. Therefore, the optical waveguide circuit chip and the connecting portion of the optical waveguide circuit chip and the optical fiber block are often stored to a package and are used.
Optical wavelength division multiplexing is vigorously researched and developed as a method for greatly increasing transmission capacity in the optical communications, and its practical use is advanced. In the optical wavelength division multiplexing, for example, a plurality of lights having wavelengths different from each other are multiplexed and transmitted. In recent years, the optical waveguide circuit chip such as an arrayed waveguide grating and an optical switch, and an optical waveguide circuit chip of a high function integral type constructed by combining the arrayed waveguide grating and the optical switch are used for the practical use of the wavelength division multiplexing.
The optical waveguide circuit chip such as the arrayed waveguide grating, and the optical waveguide circuit chip of a high function integral type have sizes ranging approximately from 30xc3x9730 mm to 80xc3x9780 mm and larger than the size of the conventional optical waveguide circuit chip such as a splitter and a coupler.
An optical waveguide module of the present invention comprises:
an optical waveguide circuit chip having an optical waveguide forming area formed on a substrate; and
a package for supporting and storing the optical waveguide circuit chip in at least a peripheral portion of an edge portion;
wherein an elastic member for impact relaxation of the optical waveguide circuit chip is arranged in at least one portion of the vicinity of the edge portion of the optical waveguide circuit chip.